2 Starting Out with Forms

This section of the tutorial shows you how to start building a form. It demonstrates:

· Initial building of a form.

· How to add blocks to a form.

· How to add simple fields to a block.

In this section of the tutorial, you will do the following:

· Create a Form.

· Add a DISPLAY Block to the Form.

· Add a Title (Caption-Only Field).

· Reposition Fields on a Block.

· Add Data Dictionary Fields.

· Run the Form.

· Add an Edit Block to the Form.

· Add Data Dictionary Fields to the EDIT Block.

· Use PRINT^DDS to List Form Characteristics.

2.1 Create a Form

2.1.1 Overview

ScreenMan is a tool for screen-oriented, form-oriented data entry into VA FileMan files. The Form Editor tool was introduced with VA FileMan 21.0. It assists developers in creating ScreenMan interfaces. This tutorial concentrates on creating forms with the Form Editor.

In this tutorial, you will:

· Create a form to edit entries in the NEW PERSON file (#200).

NOTE: You will not edit every field in the NEW PERSON file (#200), because that could be a big form!

· Add selected fields from the NEW PERSON file (#200) to the form, in such a way that you get experience using a variety of the features ScreenMan.

· At the end of the tutorial, you will have built a form that is very similar to Kernel’s Edit User Characteristics option (although your form edits a different set of fields).

2.1.1.1 ScreenMan Forms

When you create a form, a first page is created for the form by default. You cannot place fields directly on either a form or page; you must create blocks first. This is because the only place fields can be placed on is a block. A block provides a place to logically group a set of fields; you might edit a Multiple’s fields in one block on one page, and the top-level fields for the file on a block on another page. You can also designate whether the fields on any given block are display-only or editable.

Figure 1 shows the relationships with blocks, pages, and forms:

Figure 1. Relationships with blocks, pages, and forms

Thus, to create a form, the first step is to create the form itself. The first page of the form is created automatically when the form is created. However, before you can add fields to the form, you must add at least one block to the form. Adding a block to the form you create will be your second step.

2.1.1.2 Form Editor

The most basic element in a ScreenMan form is the form itself. To create the form, you use a tool called the Form Editor. You can invoke the Form Editor from the following:

· Using the Edit/Create a Form Option [DDS EDIT/CREATE A FORM]

· Using the Direct Mode Utility

2.1.1.2.1 Using the Edit/Create a Form Option

From the VA FileMan main menu [DIUSER], do the following:

1. At the “Select VA FileMan Option:” prompt, select Other Options menu [DIOTHER].

2. At the “Select Other Options Option:” prompt, select the ScreenMan main menu [DDS SCREEN MENU].

NOTE: This option is locked with the XUSCREENMAN security key.

3. At the “Select ScreenMan Option:” prompt, select the Edit/Create a Form option [DDS EDIT/CREATE A FORM].

Figure 2. Accessing ScreenMan options

Select Systems Manager Menu Option: FM1 <Enter> VA FileMan

VA FileMan Version 22.0

Enter or Edit File Entries

Print File Entries

Search File Entries

Modify File Attributes

Inquire to File Entries

Utility Functions ...

Data Dictionary Utilities ...

Transfer Entries

Other Options ...

Select VA FileMan Option: OTHER <Enter> Options

ScreenMan ...

Statistics

VA FileMan Management ...

Data Export to Foreign Format ...

Import Data

Browser

Select Other Options Option: SCREEN <Enter> Man

Edit/Create a Form

Run a Form

Delete a Form

Purge Unused Blocks

Select ScreenMan Option: EDIT <Enter> /Create a Form

EDIT/CREATE FORM FOR WHAT FILE: NEW PERSON//

2.1.1.2.2 Using the Direct Mode Utility

Alternatively, you can invoke the Form Editor from programmer mode using the following direct-mode utility:

D ^DDGF

2.1.2 Procedure

To create the first form, do the following:

1. Invoke the Form Editor, using either the menu option (see Figure 2) or the direct-mode utility (see Section 2.1.1.2.2).

2. The first thing you are asked is for what file to create a form. Since you are creating a form to edit the NEW PERSON file (#200), enter NEW PERSON.

3. You are now asked for a form name. Entering two question marks (“??”) lists current forms defined for the NEW PERSON file (#200). Enter a new unique form name using your student namespace concatenated with “ EDIT”. For example, if your namespace is ZYXU, add a form called ZYXU EDIT.

NOTE: From hereon in, the namespace part of a name is referred to as “Zxxx” in the tutorial.

Figure 3. Creating a form—Sample user dialogue

Select ScreenMan <TEST ACCOUNT> Option: EDIT <Enter> /Create a Form

EDIT/CREATE FORM FOR WHAT FILE: PERSON CLASS// NEW PERSON <Enter>

(392 entries)

Select FORM: Zxxx EDIT

Are you adding ‘Zxxx EDIT’ as a new FORM? No// YES <Enter> (Yes)

4. Once you select a name for the form, you are placed in the ScreenMan’s Form Editor:

Figure 4. Sample blank form

_____________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R1,C1

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 1 (Page 1)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

NOTE: In subsequent tutorial sections, you will build on this form using the Form Editor, gradually creating a robust interface to the NEW PERSON file (#200).

5. Press <PF1>E to save the new form and exit the Form Editor.

REF: In Section 2.2 you will add a DISPLAY block to the new form.

2.1.3 Summary

In this lesson you learned how to create a ScreenMan form using the Form Editor.

The Form Editor can be invoked with the Edit/Create a Form option, and also with the direct-mode utility: D ^DDGF.

2.2 Add a DISPLAY Block to the Form

2.2.1 Overview

The form you created in Section 2.1 has a page (page 1 is created by default), but no blocks yet. In order to add any fields to the form, you need to place a block on the form. Thus, the first thing to do with your form is to add a block.

There are two types of blocks:

· EDIT—Allows fields to be changed by the user.

· DISPLAY—Allows fields to be displayed but not changed by the user.

The cursor position, at the time you add a block, defines the region of the block. The region of the page covered by the block starts at the cursor position, and moves down and to the right. Thus, if the block covers only the bottom half of the page, you are only able to place fields on the bottom-half of that page (for that block only).

You can add more than one block on a page. The following are some reasons why you might use more than one block on a page:

· Reusing Blocks—You have a multi-page form, for example, and want the same header information on each page of the form. You can create a block for the header information only, and reuse the same block on each page of the form. Each page would then need an additional block for the fields unique to each page.

· Separate Blocks—If fields on the same page come from different data dictionary file numbers (either from a Multiple, or from another file), you need to use separate blocks. You can only place fields from a single data dictionary file number on any given block.

NOTE: Both of these situations are covered in subsequent sections in this tutorial.

· Display-only Blocks—You can make a field on an EDIT block “display-only” by individually setting that field’s DISABLE EDITING property. You can have a large number of display-only fields, as well as some fields to edit, however. In this case, it can be easier to place the display-only fields on their own DISPLAY block, rather than set each field’s DISABLE EDITING property.

2.2.2 Procedure

In this section, you will add a single block to the page, and make it a DISPLAY block.

To add a DISPLAY block, do the following:

1. In the Form Editor, with your Zxxx EDIT form loaded, use the arrow keys to position the cursor at row 1, column 1 if it is not already at that position. This is the top-left corner on the form.

TIP: Cursor Position:

The current cursor position is always displayed at the lower-right corner of the Form Editor screen.

2. At the current cursor position (row 1, column 1), press <PF2>B to add a block to the form at the cursor.

3. When asked to select a new block name, enter your namespace concatenated with “MAIN 1” (e.g., ”Zxxx MAIN 1”):

Figure 5. Adding a DISPLAY block—Sample user dialogue

R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,T

. .

. Select NEW BLOCK NAME: Zxxx MAIN 1 .

. .

F,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G

______________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

4. At the “Are you adding ‘Zxxx MAIN 1’ as a new BLOCK? No//” prompt, enter YES.

5. At the “Are you adding Zxxx MAIN 1 as a new block on this page?” prompt, enter YES.

6. You are now given a chance to enter the properties for the Zxxx MAIN 1 block.

a. Change TYPE OF BLOCK to DISPLAY.

b. Verify BLOCK ORDER is 1.

c. Accept the other defaults.

The block properties should match those shown in Figure 6:

Figure 6. Sample DISPLAY Block properties

------------------- Block Properties Stored in FORM File ------------------

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx MAIN 1 BLOCK ORDER: 1 |

| TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT OTHER PARAMETERS... |

| |

| POINTER LINK: |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

|----------------- Block Properties Stored in BLOCK File ------------------|

| |

| NAME: Zxxx MAIN 1 DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| DD NUMBER: 200 DISABLE NAVIGATION: |

| |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

7. Press <PF1>E to save the new block.

Any fields placed on this block are read-only, since this is a DISPLAY block; in the next section, you will add several fields to the block.

TIP: Seeing Blocks, and Editing Block Properties:

To see what blocks are on a page, press <PF1>V to switch to the Block Viewer screen. The name of each block is displayed as a caption on the page.

To move the position of a block, do the following:

1. Select the block.

2. Move the cursor to the label of the block.

3. Press Spacebar or Enter.

4. Move it with the arrow keys,

5. Deselect it by pressing Spacebar or Enter again.

To edit the properties of the block, do the following:

1. Move the cursor to the block’s caption.

2. Select it by pressing Spacebar or Enter.

3. Press PF4 to edit the properties of the block.

When you are done working with blocks and want to exit the Block Viewer screen, press <PF1>V again to switch back to the main Form Editor screen.

2.2.3 Summary

To add an EDIT or DISPLAY block to a form:

1. Press <PF2>B.

Select the block properties.

The position your cursor is at when you press <PF2>B defines the regions of the block. You need to add at least one block to every page, because fields must be placed on blocks (not directly on the page).

2.3 Add a Title (Caption-Only Field)

2.3.1 Overview

Once you have added a block to the form, you can start adding fields to the block. First, you add a caption to the block, displaying the title “NEW PERSON EDIT” at the top of the form.

2.3.2 Procedure

To add a caption-only field to the block, do the following:

1. Using the arrow keys, position the cursor at row 1, column 1.

At the current cursor position:

a. Press <PF2>F. This brings up a dialogue similar to Figure 7:

Figure 7. Adding a caption-only field—Sample user dialogue (1 of 3)

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx MAIN 1 |

| FIELD ORDER: 1 |

| FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD |

| |

----------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

b. Accept the defaults for BLOCK and FIELD ORDER.

c. Change the FIELD TYPE to CAPTION ONLY.

d. Press <PF1>E to save the settings and exit this dialogue.

Figure 8. Adding a caption-only field—Sample user dialogue (2 of 3)

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx MAIN 1 |

| FIELD ORDER: 1 |

| FIELD TYPE: CAPTION ONLY |

| |

----------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

Once you save the initial field settings, the Form Editor presents the Caption-Only Field Properties dialogue (Figure 9). Set the properties as follows:

Figure 9. Adding a Caption-Only field—Sample user dialogue (3 of 3)

---------------------- Caption-Only Field Properties -------------------

| |

| FIELD ORDER: 1 |

| CAPTION: NEW PERSON EDIT |

| UNIQUE NAME: |

| |

| EXECUTABLE CAPTION: |

| CAPTION COORDINATE: 1,1 |

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press <PF1>E to save the field properties and exit this dialogue.

The form should now have the caption “NEW PERSON EDIT”, left-justified on the first line:

Figure 10. Adding a Caption-Only field—Sample form

NEW PERSON EDIT

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R1,C1

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 1 (Page 1)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

TIP: Re-Editing Field Properties:

To re-edit the properties of a field:

1. Move the cursor to the field’s caption.

2. Press Spacebar or Enter to select the field.

3. Press PF4 to edit the properties.

2.3.3 Summary

Press <PF2>F to add fields to a block and fill in the properties.

To add a caption to a block, choose a field type of CAPTION ONLY.

2.4 Reposition Fields on a Block

2.4.1 Overview

In Section 2.3, you added a caption field to the first block. Now, use the Form Editor’s visual editing capabilities to reposition the caption field on the block.

To reposition the caption field on the block, do the following:

1. Select the field.

2. Move it.

3. De-select the field.

2.4.2 Procedure

To reposition fields on a block, do the following:

1. In the Form Editor, use the arrow keys to position the cursor at the first letter in the caption NEW PERSON EDIT.

Press Spacebar or Enter with the cursor in the field caption to select the field; this highlights the entire field.

Move the field:

a. With the field highlighted, move it by pressing the arrow keys.

b. Move the field to the center of row 1.

The leftmost character of the field should be at row 1, column 32; you can tell by the R1,C32 indicator in the lower-right corner of the window: as shown in Figure 11:

Figure 11. Sample repositioning fields on a block

NEW PERSON EDIT

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R1,C32

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 1 (Page 1)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

De-select the field. With the field highlighted (and in position), press Spacebar or Enter to deselect (and drop) the field into place.

TIP: Moving Screen Elements:

There are other shortcut keystrokes that you can use when moving screen elements (e.g., fields). These keystrokes (move field to top of screen, move field to bottom of screen, etc.) are described in the “ScreenMan” section in the VA FileMan User Manual.

2.4.3 Summary

The Form Editor provides visual field positioning capabilities. This lets you quickly position fields on blocks, which helps you build visually attractive forms very quickly.

2.5 Add Data Dictionary Fields

2.5.1 Overview

At this point, you have added one field, a caption-only field, to the first block. Now, you will add the following data dictionary fields to the DISPLAY-only block from the NEW PERSON file (#200):

· NAME

· SSN

Because these fields are placed on a DISPLAY-only block, the values are displayed to the form user, but are not editable.

2.5.2 Procedure

2.5.2.1 Adding Name Field

To add the NAME field, do the following:

1. Position the cursor at the beginning of the third line on the screen, using the arrow keys:

a. Press <PF2>F to add a field to the block.

b. Set the field up as shown in Figure 12:

Figure 12. Adding a Name field—Sample user dialogue

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx MAIN 1 |

| FIELD ORDER: 2 |

| FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD |

| |

----------------------------------------------

c. Press <PF1>E to save these field settings.

2. The Form Editor presents the “Data Dictionary Field Properties” dialogue. For FIELD, choose NAME.

3. Press <PF1>E to save the field properties.

4. Since there are two fields that begin with “NAME”, choose option 1, as shown in Figure 13:

Figure 13. Adding a Name field—Confirming correct field

-------------------- Data Dictionary Field Properties ---------------------

| |

| FIELD ORDER: 2 FIELD: NAME |

| OTHER PARAMETERS... SUPPRESS COLON AFTER CAPTION? |

| UNIQUE NAME: |

| |

| CAPTION: |

| DEFAULT: |

| EXECUTABLE CAPTION: |

| EXECUTABLE DEFAULT: |

| |

| BRANCHING LOGIC: |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| POST ACTION ON CHANGE: |

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

1 NAME

2 NAME COMPONENTS

Choose 1-2 or ‘^’ to quit: 1

5. The Form Editor returns you to the form screen, and you should see the NAME field on the screen (Figure 14):

Figure 14. Adding a Name field—Sample form

NEW PERSON EDIT

NAME: ___________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R3,C1

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 1 (Page 1)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

2.5.2.2 Adding SSN Field

To add the SSN field, do the following:

1. Position the cursor on the middle of the third line after the NAME field:

a. Press <PF2> F to add the SSN field.

b. Set it up as shown in Figure 15:

Figure 15. Adding a SSN field—Sample user dialogue

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx MAIN 1 |

| FIELD ORDER: 3 |

| FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD |

| |

----------------------------------------------

c. Press <PF1>E to save these field settings.

The Form Editor presents the “Data Dictionary Field Properties” dialogue. For FIELD, choose SSN.

Press <PF1>E to save the field properties.

The Form Editor returns you to the form screen. You should see the SSN field on the block:

Figure 16. Adding a SSN field—Sample form

NEW PERSON EDIT

NAME: ___________________________________ SSN: _________

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R3,C43

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 1 (Page 1)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

If you need to, you can re-position the fields in the same way that you re-positioned the “NEW PERSON EDIT” caption in Section 2.4.2.

2.5.2.3 Reposition Fields

To reposition fields, do the following:

1. Select a field:

a. Move the cursor to the field caption.

b. Press Spacebar or Enter.

Use the arrow keys to move the field.

Press Enter to drop the field in its new location.

TIP: Positioning Data Dictionary Fields: Caption Portion and Data Field Portion:

Data dictionary fields have two parts, caption and data field, which can be positioned independently. If you position the cursor under the caption of a data dictionary field and press Spacebar or Enter, you select the caption and data field parts together. However, if you position the cursor under the data field (the underlined portion) and then select, you select the data field only, and can position it independently of the field caption. In this tutorial, you should always move the caption and data field together.

2.5.2.4 Deleting Fields

To delete a field, do the following:

1. Select a field:

a. Move the cursor to the field caption.

b. Press Spacebar or Enter.

Press PF4 to edit the properties of the element.

At the “Field Order:” prompt, enter an at-sign (“@”).

At the “Are you sure you want to delete this entire Subrecord (Y/N)?” prompt, enter YES.

CAUTION: Deletions are done immediately! Exiting without saving will not restore deleted records.

2.5.3 Summary

Adding data dictionary fields is similar to adding caption-only fields; you simply need to choose what field you want to add.

2.6 Run the Form

2.6.1 Overview

At this point, you have added one block and three fields to the form. To see what the form looks like so far from a user’s point of view, use the VA FileMan Run a Form option (on the same menu as the Edit/Create a Form option).

2.6.2 Procedure

To see what the form looks like, do the following:

1. In the Form Editor screen, press <PF1>E to save the form you have been working on and exit.

Choose the Run a Form option:

a. Run a form from the NEW PERSON file (#200).

b. Choose the form you have been building.

Figure 17. Selecting a form—Sample user dialogue

Edit/Create a Form

Run a Form

Delete a Form

Purge Unused Blocks

Select ScreenMan <TEST ACCOUNT> Option: RUN <Enter> a Form

RUN FORM FROM WHAT FILE: NEW PERSON// <Enter>

Select FORM: Zxxx EDIT <Enter> Zxxx EDIT

(Jun 24, 2014@09:34)User #8 File #200

Select NEW PERSON NAME: FMUSER,ONE <Enter> OF TECHNICAL WRITER

NEW PERSON EDIT

Your form should look something like Figure 18.

NOTE: You cannot edit the NAME or SSN fields, which reside on a DISPLAY block.

Figure 18. Sample completed form with added fields

NEW PERSON EDIT

NAME: FMUSER,ONE SSN: 000323232

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

2.6.3 Summary

Use the Run a Form option to run and test your forms.

2.7 Add an Edit Block to the Form

2.7.1 Overview

In previous sections, you added fields to a DISPLAY-type block. Because of the block they were added to, these fields are read-only. In this section, you will add an EDIT-type block to the form; this lets you add fields to the form that the user can actually edit.

2.7.2 Procedure

To add the EDIT block, do the following:

1. Invoke the Form Editor again, and load the Zxxx EDIT form.

In the Form Editor, use the arrow keys to position the cursor at row 5, column 1 on the form.

Press <PF2>B to add a block to the form at the cursor position (row 5, column 1).

When asked to select a new block name, enter your namespace concatenated with “MAIN 2” (e.g., ”Zxxx MAIN 2”).

At the “Are you adding ‘Zxxx MAIN 2’ as a new block? No//” prompt, enter YES.

At the “Are you adding Zxxx MAIN 2 as a new block on this page?” prompt, enter YES. You are now given a chance to enter the properties for the Zxxx MAIN 2 block.

In the “Block Properties Stored I n a FORM File” dialogue (see Figure 19), verify the following data:

a. BLOCK ORDER should be 2.

b. TYPE OF BLOCK should be EDIT.

c. Accept the other defaults.

d. Press <PF1>E to save the new block and exit.

Figure 19. Sample EDIT Block properties

---------------- Block Properties Stored in FORM File --------------------

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx MAIN 2 BLOCK ORDER: 2 |

| TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT OTHER PARAMETERS... |

| |

| POINTER LINK: |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

|----------------- Block Properties Stored in BLOCK File ------------------|

| |

| NAME: Zxxx MAIN 2 DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| DD NUMBER: 200 DISABLE NAVIGATION: |

| |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

TIP: Editing Block Properties at a Later Time.

To edit a block’s properties at a later time:

1. Press <PF1>V to go to the Block Viewer screen.

2. Select the block whose properties you want to edit by positioning the cursor over it and pressing Spacebar or Enter.

3. Press PF4 to edit the block’s properties in the Block Properties dialogue.

4. Once you are done editing properties, save the changes and exit by pressing <PF1>E, or quit without saving by pressing <PF1>Q.

5. Once you are back in the Block Viewer screen, press <PF1>V to return to the normal Form Editor screen.

To delete a block:

1. Edit the block’s properties.

2. Delete the block by entering an at-sign (“@”) in the BLOCK NAME field.

2.7.3 Summary

Adding an EDIT block to a form enables the editing of any data dictionary fields placed on the EDIT-type block.

2.8 Add Data Dictionary Fields to the EDIT Block

2.8.1 Overview

In Section 2.7, you added an EDIT-type block to the form. Now, you can add some data dictionary fields to the EDIT block. This means that the user is actually able to edit data in the NEW PERSON file (#200) when they use the form.

In this section, you will add the following fields to the edit block (Zxxx MAIN 2), in the order listed below:

1. PHONE (HOME)

PHONE #3

PHONE #4

OFFICE PHONE

AUTO MENU

INITIAL

NICK NAME

PREFERRED EDITOR

TYPE-AHEAD

2.8.2 Procedure

2.8.2.1 Add Fields

To add each field, do the following:

1. Position the cursor somewhere on the Zxxx MAIN 2 block, which is anywhere from row 5 to the bottom of the form; roughly where you would like to place the field.

Press <PF2>F to add the individual field.

When the Form Editor asks for block, make sure you choose Zxxx MAIN 2:

a. Accept the default FIELD ORDER.

b. Make sure the FIELD TYPE is DATA DICTIONARY FIELD, as shown in Figure 20.

Figure 20. Adding fields—Sample user dialogue

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx MAIN 2 |

| FIELD ORDER: 1 |

| FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD |

| |

----------------------------------------------

Press <PF1>E to save and exit this dialogue.

When you reach the “Data Dictionary Field Properties” dialogue:

a. Choose the appropriate field by entering the field name in the FIELD property. Enter one of the following fields (in the order listed):

· PHONE (HOME)

· PHONE #3

· PHONE #4

· OFFICE PHONE

· AUTO MENU

· INITIAL

· NICK NAME

· PREFERRED EDITOR

· TYPE-AHEAD

b. Press <PF1>E to save the new field.

c. Repeat Steps 1 through 5b for each of the fields listed in Step 5a.

After you have added each of the fields to the block, arrange the fields so that their captions are all right-aligned (i.e., colons terminating each caption should be in a vertical line). Use the Form Editor’s visual capabilities to do this:

a. As you did before with the NEW PERSON EDIT caption, select each field:

i. Place the cursor over the first letter of the field caption.

ii. Press Spacebar or Enter. This selects (highlights) the field.

b. Use the arrow keys to move the field.

c. Press Spacebar or Enter again to drop the field into place and deselect the field.

By default, the “edit order” of the fields on the form is the same order in which you add fields to the form. You can change the field order on the block at a later time, however.

Press <PF1>E to exit the Form Editor.

Choose the Run a Form option to run and test the form. The form should now look like Figure 21 (with sample data):

Figure 21. Sample form with added fields

NEW PERSON EDIT

NAME: FMUSER,ONE SSN: 000323232

PHONE (HOME): 555-555-5555

PHONE #3:

PHONE #4:

OFFICE PHONE: 555-555-5555

AUTO MENU: YES, MENUS GENERATED

INITIAL: OF

NICK NAME: ONE

PREFERRED EDITOR: SCREEN EDITOR - VA FILEMAN

TYPE-AHEAD: ALLOWED

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

a. Test the field order. Starting at the initial field that ScreenMan places you in, press Enter at each field; you should move to the next field down on the form, until you traverse all fields and are placed at the COMMAND prompt.

b. If the field order is not correct, however, you can return to the Form Editor and change the field order for any field.

2.8.2.2 Change Field Order

To change the field order for any field, do the following:

1. Select the field whose order you want to change:

a. Move the cursor to the field caption.

b. Press Spacebar or Enter to select the field.

Press PF4 to edit the field properties.

Change the field order to a different number (decimal fractions are allowed).

2.8.2.3 Reset Field Order

Alternatively, you can reset the field order of all fields to be left-to-right, top-to-bottom.

To reset the field order of all fields to left-to-right, top-to-bottom, do the following:

1. From the Form Editor, go to the Block Viewer screen by pressing <PF1>V.

Select the block in question:

a. Move cursor to it.

b. Press Spacebar or Enter to select the block.

Press <PF1>O to reorder the field sequence.

Press Spacebar or Enter again to de-select the block.

Press <PF1>V to return to the normal Form Editor screen.

TIP: Display Width vs. Actual Width for Fields:

Some fields are longer than a form is wide; fields can be up to 245 characters in length. How can you edit a field like this in a ScreenMan form, which is only 80 characters wide? The answer is that when you place a field like this on a form, you can set the field’s display width by setting its DATA LENGTH property. You could set its DATA LENGTH to be 75, for example. Then, when the user runs the form, the field is displayed in a 75-character-wide window. To see and edit the entire field, the user can press <PF1>Z; this opens a large edit area at the bottom of the screen.

You can use this technique even with fields that fit within the width of your form. For example, you might have a field that is 60 characters in length, but set it so that it only takes up 30 characters when displayed on your form (by setting its DATA LENGTH to 30).

CONGRATULATIONS: Making an interface to edit fields in the NEW PERSON file (#200) was as easy as that!

2.8.3 Summary

To let users edit data in a VA FileMan file, you can add data dictionary fields to an Edit-type block on the form. The field order (when the user traverses fields by pressing Enter) is, by default, the order you add fields to the form. You can change the field order at a later time, if necessary.

2.9 Use PRINT^DDS to List Form Characteristics

2.9.1 Overview

At this point, you have added several blocks and a number of fields to the form.

When you are working with forms, you can generate a report on your form so that you can review your form’s characteristics. ScreenMan provides a way to do this using the following direct-mode utility:

D PRINT^DDS

This lists all characteristics of a form. It lists the properties of the form itself and all properties of the blocks and fields used on the form.

2.9.2 Procedure

To generate a report on your form so that you can review your form’s characteristics, do the following:

1. From the M programmer prompt, run PRINT^DDS.

Compare the output for your form to the output listed below. The printout for your form thus far should correspond to the printout listed in Figure 22:

Figure 22. Using PRINT^DDS direct-mode utility—Sample user dialogue

TEST ACCOUNT>D PRINT^DDS

Select FORM: ZXXX EDIT <Enter> (Jun 24, 2014@09:34)User #8 File #200

Start each page of the form on a new page? Yes// NO

DEVICE: HOME// <Enter> Network

Figure 23. Using PRINT^DDS direct-mode utility—Sample form report generated

FORM LISTING - Zxxx EDIT (#78)

FILE: NEW PERSON (#200) JUN 24, 2014 11:37 PAGE 1

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIMARY FILE: 200 READ ACCESS: @

DATE CREATED: JUN 24, 2014@09:34 WRITE ACCESS: @

DATE LAST USED: JUN 24, 2014@11:15 CREATOR: 8

Page Page

Number Properties

------ ----------

1 Page 1

PAGE COORDINATE: 1,1

Block Block

Order Properties (Form File)

----- ----------------------

1 Zxxx MAIN 1 (#327)

TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT

BLOCK COORDINATE: 1,1

Block Properties (Block File)

-----------------------------

DATA DICTIONARY NUMBER: 200

Field Field

Order Properties

----- ----------

1 FIELD TYPE: CAPTION ONLY

CAPTION: NEW PERSON EDIT

CAPTION COORDINATE: 1,32

2 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: NAME

FIELD: .01

CAPTION COORDINATE: 3,1

DATA COORDINATE: 3,7

DATA LENGTH: 35

3 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: SSN

FIELD: 9

CAPTION COORDINATE: 3,43

DATA COORDINATE: 3,48

DATA LENGTH: 9

2 Zxxx MAIN 2 (#328)

TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT

BLOCK COORDINATE: 5,1

Block Properties (Block File)

-----------------------------

DATA DICTIONARY NUMBER: 200

Field Field

Order Properties

----- ----------

1 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: PHONE (HOME)

FIELD: .131

CAPTION COORDINATE: 1,6

DATA COORDINATE: 1,20

DATA LENGTH: 20

2 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: PHONE #3

FIELD: .133

CAPTION COORDINATE: 2,10

DATA COORDINATE: 2,20

DATA LENGTH: 20

3 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: PHONE #4

FIELD: .134

CAPTION COORDINATE: 3,10

DATA COORDINATE: 3,20

DATA LENGTH: 20

4 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: OFFICE PHONE

FIELD: .132

CAPTION COORDINATE: 4,6

DATA COORDINATE: 4,20

DATA LENGTH: 20

5 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: AUTO MENU

FIELD: 200.06

CAPTION COORDINATE: 5,9

DATA COORDINATE: 5,20

DATA LENGTH: 20

6 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: INITIAL

FIELD: 1

CAPTION COORDINATE: 6,11

DATA COORDINATE: 6,20

DATA LENGTH: 5

7 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: NICK NAME

FIELD: 13

CAPTION COORDINATE: 7,9

DATA COORDINATE: 7,20

DATA LENGTH: 10

8 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: PREFERRED EDITOR

FIELD: 31.3

CAPTION COORDINATE: 8,2

DATA COORDINATE: 8,20

DATA LENGTH: 30

9 FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD

CAPTION: TYPE-AHEAD

FIELD: 200.09

CAPTION COORDINATE: 9,8

DATA COORDINATE: 9,20

DATA LENGTH: 11

TEST ACCOUNT>

2.9.3 Summary

Use the PRINT^DDS direct mode utility to list the characteristics of a form.

CONGRATULATIONS: This is the end of the first section of the hands-on tutorial! You have:

· Created a ScreenMan form.

· Linked it to a file.

· Added both display-only and editable fields to the form.

If you want to try out some of the more advanced features of ScreenMan, continue on to the next section of this tutorial!

3 Pages, Multiples, and Computed Fields

NOTE: This section continues to build on the form you designed in Section 2.

This section demonstrates some of the more typical things a developer might want to do with a form, beyond the adding of simple fields to a single page. It shows how to add pages to a form, and shows two ways of editing Multiple fields on a form. Also, it shows how to enhance the presentation of information with ScreenMan computed fields. You will do the following:

· Add a second page to your form.

· Edit a Multiple field using a repeating block.

· Edit a Multiple field using a popup page.

· Resize and reposition the popup page.

· Add a ScreenMan computed field, enhancing the presentation of the Multiple in the repeating block.

3.1 Add a Page to a Form

3.1.1 Overview

Forms can have more than one page. They can have many pages, each page with its own blocks. Some reasons to use more than one page in a form are:

· There are too many fields to fit on one page.

· You want to edit fields in a different file or in a Multiple.

· You want to display information in a “popup” page.

3.1.2 Procedures

3.1.2.1 Add a Page to a Form

To add a page to a form, do the following:

1. Invoke the Form Editor, using either the menu option (see Figure 2) or the direct-mode utility (see Section 2.1.1.2.2).

The first thing you are asked is for what file to create a form. Since we are creating a form to edit the NEW PERSON file (#200), enter NEW PERSON.

You are now asked for a form name. Entering two question marks lists current forms defined for the NEW PERSON file (#200). For this section, continue editing the form you created in Section 2.

NOTE: From hereon in, the namespace part of a name is referred to as “Zxxx” in the tutorial.

Once you select a name for the form, you are placed in the ScreenMan’s Form Editor.

Press <PF2>P to add a page.

Choose a unique page number for the page.

In the new page’s properties, fill in a page number for both the NEXT PAGE and PREVIOUS PAGE properties. This tells ScreenMan what pages to go to when the user moves backwards or forwards from the page.

Adjust the PREVIOUS PAGE and NEXT PAGE properties of other pages to make sure that the total sequence of pages is adjusted to include the new page.

Add a block to the new page. Every page should have at least one block.

3.1.2.2 Add a Second Page to a Form

To add a second page to a form, do the following:

1. In the Form Editor, load the Zxxx EDIT USER form.

2. Press <PF2>P to add a page.

3. In a popup window, you are asked for the NEW PAGE NUMBER. In general, you should number the pages in your form sequentially, so it is easy to keep track of them. Since this is the second page in the form, enter 2.

4. At the “Are you adding Page 2 as a new page on this form?” prompt, enter YES.

5. The Form Editor presents a “Page Properties” dialogue letting you edit the characteristics of the new page.

a. Enter 1 for the NEXT PAGE and PREVIOUS PAGE properties.

b. Accept the defaults for all other properties.

The page properties should match those in Figure 24:

Figure 24. Sample “Page Properties” dialogue

------------------------ Page Properties --------------------------------

| |

NA| PAGE NUMBER: 2 |

| PAGE NAME: Page 2 |

| HEADER BLOCK: |

| |

| PAGE COORDINATE: 1,1 IS THIS A POP UP PAGE? |

| LOWER RIGHT COORDINATE: |

| NEXT PAGE: 1 |

| PREVIOUS PAGE: 1 |

| PARENT FIELD: |

P| |

| DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

6. Press <PF1>E to save the new page.

7. The Form Editor now displays the blank second page of the form.

NOTE: Next, you will need to add a block to the page.

3.1.2.3 Add an Edit Block

The new page needs at least one block.

To add an edit-type block to the page, do the following:

1. In the Form Editor, on Page 2, position the cursor at row 1, column 1 (top-left corner).

Press <PF2>B to add a block to the form at the cursor position (row 1, column 1).

When asked to select a new block name, enter your namespace concatenated with “ MAIN 3” (e.g., ”Zxxx MAIN 3”).

At the “Are you adding ‘Zxxx MAIN 3’ as a new BLOCK? No//” prompt, enter YES.

At the “Are you adding ‘Zxxx MAIN 3’ as a new block on this page?” prompt, enter YES.

You are now given a chance to enter the properties for the Zxxx MAIN 3 block.

Verify the following entries:

· BLOCK ORDER should be 1.

· TYPE OF BLOCK should be EDIT.

· Accept the other defaults.

The block properties should match those shown in Figure 25:

Figure 25. Sample form with added EDIT block

----------------- Block Properties Stored in FORM File -------------------

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx MAIN 3 BLOCK ORDER: 1 |

| TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT OTHER PARAMETERS... |

| |

| POINTER LINK: |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

|----------------- Block Properties Stored in BLOCK File ------------------|

| |

| NAME: Zxxx MAIN 3 DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| DD NUMBER: 200 DISABLE NAVIGATION: |

| |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

Press <PF1>E to save the new block.

Shortcuts to Move to Another Page:

For other shortcuts besides <PF1>P for navigating from one page to another, see the “ScreenMan” section in the VA FileMan User Manual.

3.1.2.4 Link Pages

Link the first page to the second by moving back to the first page and setting the first page’s NEXT PAGE property to 2.

To link the first page to the second, do the following:

1. Press <PF1>P to change pages, and enter 1 as the “change to” page.

Once Page 1 is the current page, enter <PF4>P to edit the Page 1 properties.

For the NEXT PAGE and PREVIOUS PAGE properties, enter 2 (see Figure 26).

Press <PF1>E to save the properties for Page 1.

Once you are back in the Form Editor, press <PF1>E to save the form and exit.

Run and test the form using the Run a Form option:

a. You should have a new choice, Next Page, from Page 1 at the COMMAND prompt.

b. Choosing Next Page at the COMMAND prompt should move you to the (currently blank) second page of the form.

c. Pressing <PF1><ARROWDOWN> should move you to the next page.

d. Pressing <PF1><ARROWUP> should move you to the previous page.

As a final touch, you can add two CAPTION fields at the top-right corners of the two pages:

· “Page 1 of 2” on the first page.

· “Page 2 of 2” on the second page.

REF: For instructions on entering a caption-only field, see Section 2.3.

Figure 26. Sample “Page Properties” dialogue—Link pages

------------------------- Page Properties -------------------------------

| |

NA| PAGE NUMBER: 1 |

| PAGE NAME: Page 1 |

| HEADER BLOCK: |

| |

| PAGE COORDINATE: 1,1 IS THIS A POP UP PAGE? |

| LOWER RIGHT COORDINATE: |

| NEXT PAGE: 2 |

| PREVIOUS PAGE: 2 |

| PARENT FIELD: |

P| |

| DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

3.2 Summary

Forms can have multiple pages. When you add pages, your main task is to make sure that your pages all have appropriate PREVIOUS PAGE and NEXT PAGE links, so that a correct sequence of pages is available to users of your form.

3.3 Add a Multiple Field (in a Repeating Block)

3.3.1 Overview

You can provide users with the ability to edit data that is in a Multiple. The two common ways to edit Multiples on forms are:

· Add a repeating block that is dedicated to the Multiple.

· Add a popup page that is dedicated to the Multiple.

In this section, you will let the user edit data in a Multiple using a repeating block. You will add the ability on the form to edit the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Multiple in the NEW PERSON file (#200).

A repeating block presents multiple entries in a scrolling list, making it possible to display more than one entry from the Multiple to the user at the same time. The main limitation to using a repeating block is that all fields to be edited must fit on one line on the screen.

The general process to set up a Multiple in a repeating block is:

1. Add a new block (of type EDIT) to a page.

In the new block’s OTHER PARAMETERS section, set the REPLICATION property to the length of the list to in which to display Multiple entries.

Set the DD NUMBER property of the new block to the DD number of the Multiple.

Add the fields to edit in the Multiple (all in one line) to the repeating block (remove all captions).

If you want to add column “heading” captions above the row of fields, you can do so, but add the captions to a different block (not the repeating block). The only fields that should be on the repeating block should be one line of data fields.

In this section, you will add a repeating block to Page 2 of the form to edit the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Multiple in the NEW PERSON file (#200).

3.3.2 Procedures

3.3.2.1 Add Repeating Block

To add a repeating block, do the following:

1. Position the cursor on the Page 2 of the form, at row 5, column 7.

Press <PF2>B to add a new block to the current page.

For block name, enter Zxxx REPEATING 1.

At the “Are you adding ‘Zxxx REPEATING 1’ as a new BLOCK? No//” prompt, enter YES.

At the “Are you adding Zxxx REPEATING 1 as a new block on this page?” prompt, enter YES.

Enter the following data:

a. BLOCK ORDER should be 2.

b. TYPE OF BLOCK should be EDIT.

At the “OTHER PARAMETERS…” prompt, press Enter.

In the “Other Block Parameter” dialogue, do the following:

a. Set REPLICATION to be 4. This makes the block a repeating block and sets the number of entries to display on screen to 4.

Figure 27. Adding a Repeating Block—Sample user dialogue

------------ Block Properties Stored in FORM File ------------- 2

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx REPEATING 1 BLOCK ORDER: 2 |

| TYPE OF --------- Other Block Parameters ---------- ... |

| | | |

| POINTE| BLOCK COORDINATE: 5,7 | |

| PRE | | |

| POST | Parameters for Repeating Blocks | |

| | | |

|--------| REPLICATION: 4 |-----------|

| | INDEX: | |

| | INITIAL POSITION: |P): |

| DD NU| DISALLOW LAYGO: |ON: |

| | FIELD FOR SELECTION: | |

| PRE AC| ASK ‘OK’: | |

| POST AC ------------------------------------------- |

----------------------------------------------------------------

___________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

b. Press <PF1>C to close the “Other Block Parameter” dialogue.

Set the DD NUMBER block property to be 200.03 (i.e., data dictionary number of the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Multiple).

Figure 28. Sample Repeating Block properties

----------------- Block Properties Stored in FORM File ------------------- 2

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx REPEATING 1 BLOCK ORDER: 2 |

| TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT OTHER PARAMETERS... |

| |

| POINTER LINK: |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

|----------------- Block Properties Stored in BLOCK File ------------------|

| |

| NAME: Zxxx REPEATING 1 DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| DD NUMBER: 200.03 DISABLE NAVIGATION: |

| |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

Press <PF1>E on the “Block Properties” dialogue to save the new block.

3.3.2.2 Add the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS .01 Field

Add the fields to the repeating block that you want users to be able to edit. Remember, you can only add fields that fit on one line to a repeating block. You will add two fields on one line:

· .01 field

· SYNONYM field

To add the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS .01 field to the repeating block, do the following:

1. Position the cursor on Page 2 of the form, at row 5, column 7.

Press <PF2>F to add a field at the cursor position.

Add the field to the Zxxx REPEATING 1 block, with a field type of DATA DICTIONARY FIELD.

Figure 29. Adding secondary menu options—Sample user dialogue

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx REPEATING 1 |

| FIELD ORDER: 1 |

| FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD |

| |

----------------------------------------------

Press <PF1>E to save the changes.

On the “Data Dictionary Field Properties” dialogue for the new field, set the FIELD to SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS (# .01). You see that the only fields selectable are those in the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Multiple, because you set the block to DD NUMBER 200.03.

Delete the text in the CAPTION property.

Press <PF1>E to save the field properties.

You should see an underlined field on the Form Editor screen, with no caption:

Figure 30. Adding secondary menu options—Sample form

Page 2 of 2

______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R5,C7

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 2 (Page 2)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

3.3.2.3 Add the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS (SYNONYM) Field

To add the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS (SYNONYM) field to the repeating block, do the following:

1. Position the cursor on Page 2 of the form, at row 5, column 40.

Press <PF2>F to add a field at the cursor position.

Add the field to the Zxxx REPEATING 1 block, with a field type of DATA DICTIONARY FIELD.

Figure 31. Adding a DATA DICTIONARY field—Sample user dialogue

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx REPEATING 1 |

| FIELD ORDER: 2 |

| FIELD TYPE: DATA DICTIONARY FIELD |

| |

----------------------------------------------

Press <PF1>E to save the changes.

In the “Data Dictionary Field Properties” dialogue for the new field, set the FIELD to SYNONYM (#2).

Delete the text in the CAPTION property.

Press <PF1>E to save the field properties.

You should see a second underlined field on the Form Editor screen, with no caption:

Figure 32. Adding a DATA DICTIONARY field—Sample form

Page 2 of 2

______________________________ ____

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R5,C40

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 2 (Page 2)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

3.3.2.4 Add Caption-only Field Columnar Headings to the Repeating Block

Finally, add four caption-only fields just above the repeating block to provide neat columnar headings for the repeating block fields below.

To add caption-only field columnar headings to the repeating block, do the following:

1. On Page 2, position the cursor at row 3, column 7:

a. Add a caption-only field to the Zxxx MAIN 3 block (not the repeating block!); see Section 2.3 for instructions.

b. Make sure you set the FIELD TYPE to CAPTION ONLY:

Figure 33. Adding a CAPTION ONLY field—Sample user dialogue

----------------------------------------------

| |

| Select BLOCK: Zxxx MAIN 3 |

| FIELD ORDER: 2 |

| FIELD TYPE: CAPTION ONLY |

| |

----------------------------------------------

c. Press <PF1>E to save the changes.

In the “Caption-Only Field Properties” dialogue:

a. Set the CAPTION to “Secondary Menu Option”.

b. Press <PF1>E to save the changes.

Position the cursor at row 3, column 40:

a. Add a caption-only field to the Zxxx MAIN 3 block.

b. Set the CAPTION to “Synonym”.

Position the cursor at row 4, column 7:

a. Add a caption-only field to the Zxxx MAIN 3 block.

b. At the CAPTION property, enter:

!DUP(“-”,30)

This is a shortcut way of making a caption of 30 hyphens.

Position the cursor at row 4, column 40:

a. Add a caption-only field to the Zxxx MAIN 3 block.

b. Set the CAPTION to “-------”.

If you do not get the captions to line up exactly:

a. Select the caption-only field in question.

b. Move cursor to the field and press Spacebar or Enter to select the field.

c. Use the arrow keys to position the caption.

d. Press Spacebar or Enter again to de-select the field.

Press <PF1>E to exit the Form Editor.

Run and test the form:

a. Press <PF1><ARROW DOWN>, <NEXT SCREEN>, or <PAGE DOWN> to go to Page 2.

b. There are four display lines for the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Multiple. Below the last item in the list, try entering some options. For example:

· XU FINDUSER

· XU EPCS UTILITY FUNCTIONS

c. You can scroll up and down the list. Enter more than four options in the Multiple, so that you can see how the scrolling works.

Figure 34. Adding a field and displaying Multiple field values—Sample form

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym

------------------------------ -------

XQSMD USER MENU

XUAR AUTOMATED ACCESS REQ MAIN AAR

XUTM SYSTEM MONITOR

+XU EPCS UTILITY FUNCTIONS ePCS

______________________________________________________________________________

Exit Save Next Page Refresh

Enter a command or ‘^’ followed by a caption to jump to a specific field.

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

TIP: Caption Prompt Shortcuts:

Other shortcuts at the caption prompt are listed in the “ScreenMan” section in the VA FileMan User Manual.

3.3.3 Summary

You can use a repeating block to edit Multiples:

· Advantage—You can present a list of entries from a Multiple on your form.

· Disadvantage—All the fields from the Multiple that you want to display or edit must fit on a single line.

3.4 Add a Multiple Field (in a Popup Page)

3.4.1.1 Overview

In Section 3.3, you used a repeating block to let the user edit one line’s worth of fields from a Multiple. If you want the user to be able to edit many fields from a given a Multiple, you can create a popup page and set up the Multiple to be edited there.

The general process to set up a Multiple to be edited in a popup page is:

1. Add the parent field of the Multiple in question (at the DD level of the form’s primary file) to your form.

Add a popup page, dedicated to the DD number of the Multiple.

Link the popup page back to the Multiple’s parent field through the page’s PARENT FIELD property.

Add a block to the popup page.

Add the desired fields from the Multiple to the popup page’s block.

3.4.2 Procedures

In this section, you will edit the DIVISION Multiple in a popup page:

1. Add the DIVISION Multiple Field—Add the DIVISION field to the appropriate block on an existing page.

2. Add a Popup Page for the DIVISION Multiple—Link that field to a popup page you will build, where you will place that Multiple’s fields.

3.4.2.1 Add the DIVISION Multiple Field

To add the DIVISION Multiple field to the Zxxx MAIN 3 block, do the following:

1. In the Form Editor, go to Page 2 of your form:

a. Press <PF1>P.

b. Enter 2.

Position the cursor at row 10, column 7, and press <PF2>F to add a field.

Add the field to the block Zxxx MAIN 3:

a. Accept the default field order.

b. Make sure the field type is DATA DICTIONARY FIELD.

c. Press <PF1>E to save the changes.

In the “Data Dictionary Field Properties” dialogue, do the following:

a. Set FIELD to DIVISION.

b. Press <PF1>E to save the field properties.

You should now see a field for DIVISION on the Form Editor screen.

3.4.2.2 Add a Popup Page for the DIVISION Multiple

To add a popup page for the DIVISION Multiple, do the following:

1. Press <PF2>P to add a new page.

2. One scheme for numbering popup pages is to number them as some fraction added to the page number from which they pop up.

Set the PAGE NUMBER field to 2.5, since this popup page “pops up” from Page 2.

Set the PAGE COORDINATE field to 5,5.

In the “Page Properties” dialogue, set the IS THIS A POP UP PAGE? field to YES.

Set the LOWER RIGHT COORDINATE field to 15,75.

Fill in PARENT FIELD. The format for PARENT FIELD is:

field id,block name,page name

Set PARENT FIELD to “DIVISION,Zxxx MAIN 3,2”. This links the popup page to the DIVISION field on block Zxxx MAIN 3, on Page 2.

Figure 35. Adding a popup page for the DIVISION Multiple—Sample “Page Properties” dialogue

----------------------- Page Properties -------------------------------- 2

| |

| PAGE NUMBER: 2.5 |

| PAGE NAME: Page 2.5 |

| HEADER BLOCK: |

| |

| PAGE COORDINATE: 5,5 IS THIS A POP UP PAGE? YES |

| LOWER RIGHT COORDINATE: 15,75 |

| NEXT PAGE: |

| PREVIOUS PAGE: |

| PARENT FIELD: DIVISION,Zxxx MAIN 3,2 |

| |

| DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The popup page is linked to the DIVISION field entirely through the PARENT FIELD property. That is all it takes to invoke the popup page!

Press <PF1>E to save the new page.

The Form Editor should now display a rectangular box on the screen, from row 5, column 5 to row 15, column 75.

Figure 36. Adding a popup page for the DIVISION Multiple—Sample form

---------------------------------------------------------------------

| |

---------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R5,C5

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 2.5 (Page 2.5)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

3.4.2.3 Add a Block to the Popup Page

To add a block to the popup page, since every page needs a block, do the following:

1. Position the cursor at row 6, column 6 on the screen (just inside the top-left corner of the box).

2. Press <PF2>B to add a new block.

For block name, enter Zxxx POPUP 1.

At the “Are you adding ‘Zxxx POPUP 1’ as a new BLOCK? No//” prompt, enter YES.

At the “Are you adding Zxxx POPUP 1 as a new block on this page?” prompt, enter YES.

Figure 37. Adding a Block to the popup page—Sample Block properties

----------------- Block Properties Stored in FORM File -------------------

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx POPUP 1 BLOCK ORDER: 1 |

| TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT OTHER PARAMETERS... |

| |

| POINTER LINK: |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

|----------------- Block Properties Stored in BLOCK File ------------------|

| |

| NAME: Zxxx POPUP 1 DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| DD NUMBER: 200.02 DISABLE NAVIGATION: |

| |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

In the “Block Properties Stored in FORM File” dialogue:

a. TYPE OF BLOCK should be EDIT.

b. Set the DD NUMBER to 200.02 (tying all fields on the block to the DIVISION Multiple).

Press <PF1>E to save the new block.

3.4.2.4 Add the Fields for the DIVISION Multiple

Once you have created a popup page and a block on the popup page, you can add the fields for the DIVISION Multiple to the new Zxxx POPUP 1 block.

1. Add the following fields, in the usual manner, to the new block:

· “Division Information” (Caption field)

· DIVISION

· DEFAULT

When you are done adding fields, the popup page should look like Figure 38:

Figure 38. Adding the fields for the DIVISION Multiple—Sample form (1 of 2)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

| Division Information |

| |

| DIVISION: ______________________________ |

| DEFAULT: ___ |

| |

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Run and test the form. On Page 2, when you select a DIVISION entry and press Enter, you should be able to access the DIVISION Multiple through a popup page!

Figure 39. Adding the fields for the DIVISION Multiple—Sample form (2 of 2)

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym

------------------------------ -------

---------------------------------------------------------------------

| Division Information |

| |

| DIVISION: PALO ALTO |

| DEFAULT: |

| |

---------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

3.4.3 Summary

To edit a Multiple when the needed fields do not fit on one screen line, use a popup page instead:

1. Place the top-level of the Multiple as a single field on a block.

Create a popup page for the Multiple fields.

Link the popup page back to the single field using the page’s PARENT FIELD property.

3.5 Reposition and Resize the Popup Page

3.5.1 Overview

The Form Editor provides ways to visually resize and reposition popup pages. In this section, you will reposition and resize the popup page you created in Section 3.4 for the DIVISION Multiple.

3.5.2 Procedures

3.5.2.1 Reposition Popup Page

To reposition the popup page, do the following:

1. Move to Page 2 of the form:

a. Press<PF1>P.

b. Choose Page 2.

Move to Page 2.5 of the form:

a. Press <PF1>P.

b. Choose Page 2.5.

The popup page should now be displayed, superimposed over Page 2.

You can use the <TAB> key to move the cursor to each screen element on Page 2.5. Press TAB repeatedly until the cursor is positioned on the top-left corner of the popup page.

a. Press Spacebar or Enter to select the popup page.

b. The four corners of the popup page should be highlighted:

Figure 40. Repositioning the popup page—Selecting the popup window

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym

------------------------------ -------

R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,T

. Division Information .

. .

. DIVISION: ______________________________ .

. DEFAULT: ___ .

. .

F,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G

__________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R5,C5

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 2.5 (Page 2.5)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

Experiment with moving the cursor up, down, left, and right. The corners will position accordingly, this time representing the new position of the popup window.

Press Spacebar or Enter again to de-select the popup page, at which time it is repositioned to fit where you moved the page corners.

3.5.2.2 Resize the Popup Page

To resize the popup page, do the following:

1. With the popup page still displayed, press the <TAB> key until the cursor is positioned at the lower-right corner of the popup page. Selecting a popup page when the cursor is at the lower-right corner lets you resize the page.

Press Spacebar or Enter to select the popup page.

The four corners of the page should be highlighted.

Experiment with moving the cursor up, down, left, and right. The corners will position accordingly, representing the new size of the window.

Press Spacebar or Enter to de-select the popup page, at which time it is resized to fit where you moved the page corners.

Figure 41. Sample resize of the popup page

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym

------------------------------ -------

R,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,T T

. Division Information .

. .

. DIVISION: ______________________________ .

. DEFAULT: ___ .

. .

F,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G G

______________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) R15,C77

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 2.5 (Page 2.5)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

3.5.3 Summary

You can visually resize and reposition popup pages by selecting them, and pressing the arrow keys to resize and reposition the page.

3.6 Add a ScreenMan Computed Field

3.6.1 Overview

A ScreenMan computed field exists only on a form; it is not a data dictionary field. A computed field can be useful to display information that is computed “on-the-fly”.

The value of a ScreenMan computed field is determined by an M expression that sets the variable Y. In the M code (in the field’s COMPUTED EXPRESSION property), you can:

· Refer to values of other fields on the current block, by using the other field name in braces. For example:

{SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS}.

· Use navigational syntax when referring to fields as well. For example:

{SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS:MENU TEXT}.

3.6.2 Procedure

In this section, you will add a computed field to the form to provide a user-friendly description for the list of secondary menu options you added in a previous lesson. The computed field uses navigational syntax to retrieve and display the MENU TEXT field value (from the OPTION file [#19]) based on the value of the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS field.

To add the computed field, do the following:

1. Return to Page 2 of the form:

a. Press <PF1>P.

b. Choose Page 2.

On Page 2 of the form, position the cursor at row 5, column 50.

Press <PF2>F to add a field at the cursor position.

Place the new field on block Zxxx REPEATING 1:

· FIELD ORDER should be 3.

· FIELD TYPE should be COMPUTED.

Press <PF1>E to save the changes.

In the “Computed Field Properties” dialogue, set the COMPUTED EXPRESSION to be:

S Y={SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS:MENU TEXT}

This expression uses the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS field, which is on the same block as the computed field. It also uses navigational syntax to retrieve the value of the MENU TEXT field, which is in the OPTION file (#19) and is linked via the SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS pointer field.

Figure 42. Adding a ScreenMan Computed field—Sample “Computed Field Properties” dialogue

----------------------- Computed Field Properties ----------------------- 2

| |

| FIELD ORDER: 3 |

| OTHER PARAMETERS... SUPPRESS COLON AFTER CAPTION? |

| UNIQUE NAME: |

| |

| CAPTION: |

| EXECUTABLE CAPTION: |

| |

| COMPUTED EXPRESSION: S Y={SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS:MENU TEXT} |

| |

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press <PF1>E in the “Computed Field Properties” dialogue to save the new field.

You should see a third underlined field on the Form Editor screen on row 5, with a length of 1.

Resize the field. To set the size of the new field, do the following:

a. With the cursor positioned at the new field (its length is only 1), press PF3.

b. The field should now be highlighted. Also, the R,C row/column indicator in the lower-right corner of the screen changes to L=1 (now indicating length of the field is 1).

c. With the field highlighted, use the right-arrow key to expand the size of the field until its length is 25 (L=25 in indicator).

d. Press PF3 again to “un-highlight” the field.

Figure 43. Adding a ScreenMan Computed field—Sample form

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym

------------------------------ -------

______________________________ ____ _________________________

Select DIVISION: ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

File: NEW PERSON (#200) L=25

Form: Zxxx EDIT

Page: 2 (Page 2)

<PF1>Q=Quit <PF1>E=Exit <PF1>S=Save <PF1>V=Block Viewer <PF1>H=Help

Add caption-only fields. To add two more caption-only fields above the repeating block to add headers for the new MENU TEXT field, do the following:

a. Position the cursor on row 3, column 50.

b. Press <PF2>F to add a caption-only field to block Zxxx MAIN 3.

c. Make the caption “Menu Text”.

d. Position the cursor on row 4, column 50.

e. Add another caption-only field with the caption set to:

!DUP(“-”,25)

Run and test the form. Notice that the menu text for each secondary option, retrieved by the computed field from the OPTION file (#19), is displayed.

Figure 44. Adding a ScreenMan Computed field—Sample form

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym Menu Text

------------------------------ ------- -------------------------

XQSMD USER MENU Delegate's Menu Managemen

XU FINDUSER XUF Find a user

XUAR AUTOMATED ACCESS REQ MAIN AAR Automated Access Request

+XUTM SYSTEM MONITOR KERNEL System Monitor RPC

Select DIVISION: PALO ALTO

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

3.6.3 Summary

Computed fields provide a way to display “on-the-fly” computed information to the user. Computed fields can be totally standalone, or can be based on the values of other fields on the same block.

CONGRATULATIONS: This is the end of the second section of the hands-on tutorial! You have explored some of the advanced capabilities of ScreenMan forms, including:

· Adding pages to a form.

· Editing Multiples.

· Working with computed fields.

If you want to try out some more of the advanced features of ScreenMan, continue on to the next (and last) section of this tutorial!

4 Advanced Features for Forms

NOTE: This section continues to build on the form you designed in Section 3.

This section demonstrates some of finishing touches you can use to fine-tune your forms. It shows how to edit fields in another file, how to use branching logic, and how to use form-only fields to read user input. It also shows how to make a Kernel option out of your form. You will do the following:

· Edit fields in another file, using pointer navigation to reach the other file.

· Add branching logic for fields.

· Use ScreenMan Form-only fields for user input.

· Create a Kernel option to make the form accessible to users.

4.1 Edit Fields in Other Files

4.1.1 Overview

When you create a form, you tie the form to a particular file. For example, the form you have been building is tied to the NEW PERSON file (#200).

You can edit fields in another file on your form, however. The easiest way is if there is a pointer field from the form’s primary file to the file you want to edit fields in. In this case:

1. Your form’s primary file already has a forward pointer field to the other file.

2. You need to add a new block (a block can only hold fields from one DD level).

3. Tie the new block, through its POINTER LINK property, to the field that is the forward pointer in the primary file. The pointer link is the expression that describes the relational jump.

4. Tie the new block, through its DD NUMBER property, to the data dictionary number of the other file.

5. To edit fields in the other file, add them to the block that is tied to the DD number of the other file.

There are other types of relational navigation that can establish the link between files also:

· Backward pointers

· Lookups

REF: For more information on using other types of relational navigation in ScreenMan forms, see the “Relational Navigation” section in the VA FileMan Advanced User Manual.

4.1.2 Procedures

In this section you will:

1. Add the SERVICE/SECTION pointer field to the form; it points from the NEW PERSON file (#200) to the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49).

Use that forward pointer field to navigate to the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49). This lets the form users edit the entry in the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49) being pointed to by the entry they are editing in the NEW PERSON file (#200).

4.1.2.1 Add the SERVICE/SECTION Field

To add the SERVICE/SECTION field to Page 2 of the form, do the following:

1. Invoke the Form Editor, using either the menu option (see Figure 2) or the direct-mode utility (see Section 2.1.1.2.2).

The first thing you are asked is for what file to create a form. Since we are creating a form to edit the NEW PERSON file (#200), enter NEW PERSON.

You are now asked for a form name. Entering two question marks lists current forms defined for the NEW PERSON file (#200). For this section, continue editing the form you created in Section 3.

NOTE: From hereon in, the namespace part of a name is referred to as “Zxxx” in the tutorial.

Once you select a name for the form, you are placed in the ScreenMan’s Form Editor.

On Page 2 of the form:

a. Position the cursor at row 14, column 18.

b. Press <PF2>F to add a new field at the cursor position.

When the Form Editor asks for block, make sure you choose Zxxx MAIN 3:

a. Accept the default FIELD ORDER.

b. Make sure the FIELD TYPE is DATA DICTIONARY FIELD.

Press <PF1>E to save and exit this dialogue.

When you reach the “Data Dictionary Field Properties“ dialogue, set FIELD to SERVICE/SECTION.

Press <PF1>E to save the new field.

4.1.2.2 Add a Block to Edit Fields

You can add a block to the form to edit fields in the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49). This allows users to edit several fields in the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49) for whichever entry they have selected as their current SERVICE/SECTION.

To add a block to edit fields in the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49), do the following:

1. On Page 2 of the form:

a. Position the cursor at row 12, column 7.

b. Press <PF2>B to add a new block at the cursor position.

2. Enter Zxxx POINTER 1 as the new block name.

3. At the “Are you adding 'Zxxx POINTER 1' as a new BLOCK? No//” prompt, enter YES.

4. At the “Are you adding Zxxx POINTER 1 as a new block on this page?” prompt, enter YES.

5. In the “Block Properties Stored in FORM File” dialogue, the TYPE OF BLOCK should be EDIT.

6. In the POINTER LINK field, enter SERVICE/SECTION. This is the navigational syntax needed to read fields in the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49) from the NEW PERSON file (#200).

7. In the DD NUMBER field, enter 49. This is the DD number of the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49). This means that only SERVICE/SECTION file (#49) fields can be added as data dictionary fields to this block.

8. The block properties should look like Figure 45:

Figure 45. Adding a Block to Edit Fields—Sample Block properties

----------------- Block Properties Stored in FORM File ------------------- 2

| |

| BLOCK NAME: Zxxx POINTER 1 BLOCK ORDER: 3 |

| TYPE OF BLOCK: EDIT OTHER PARAMETERS... |

| |

| POINTER LINK: SERVICE/SECTION |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| |

|----------------- Block Properties Stored in BLOCK File ------------------|

| |

| NAME: Zxxx POINTER 1 DESCRIPTION (WP): |

| DD NUMBER: 49 DISABLE NAVIGATION: |

| |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

9. Press <PF1>E to save the new block.

4.1.2.3 Add Data Dictionary Fields

Once you have created the new block, do the following:

1. Add fields to the block (Zxxx POINTER 1) in the usual manner.

2. Position them below the SERVICE/SECTION field.

3. Add the following three Data Dictionary fields from the SERVICE/SECTION file (#49) to the new block (Zxxx POINTER 1):

· MAIL SYMBOL (use a caption of “SERVICE MAIL SYMBOL”).

· CHIEF (use a caption of “SERVICE CHIEF”).

· ASST CHIEF (use a caption of “SERVICE ASST CHIEF”).

NOTE: To prevent the user from deleting or changing the name of the SERVICE/SECTION entry being edited, you are not letting users edit the .01 field.

Add caption fields above the four SERVICE/SECTION fields, with the heading “Service Information”.

Run and test the form. You should now be able to edit fields in the SERVICE/SECTION; this is accomplished by navigating from the NEW PERSON file (#200) via the SERVICE/SECTION field!

Figure 46. Adding Data Dictionary fields—Sample form

Page 2 of 2

Secondary Menu Option Synonym Menu Text

------------------------------ ------- -------------------------

XQSMD USER MENU Delegate's Menu Managemen

XU FINDUSER XUF Find a user

XUAR AUTOMATED ACCESS REQ MAIN AAR Automated Access Request

+XUTM SYSTEM MONITOR KERNEL System Monitor RPC

Select DIVISION: PALO ALTO

Service Information

-------------------

SERVICE/SECTION: VHIT Field Office

SERVICE MAIL SYMBOL: IRM

SERVICE CHIEF: FMUSER,ONE

SERVICE ASST CHIEF: FMUSER,TWO

_______________________________________________________________________________

Exit Save Next Page Refresh

Enter a command or '^' followed by a caption to jump to a specific field.

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

4.1.3 Summary

You can use ScreenMan to edit the fields in any associated entry from another file. Fields from another file must be placed on their own block, and the navigational link to the block is described through the block’s POINTER LINK property.

4.2 Add Branching Logic for Fields

4.2.1 Overview

You can automatically branch the user from one field on the form to another by setting the DDSBR variable in the BRANCHING LOGIC field property. The BRANCHING LOGIC is executed when the user presses Enter at the field.

The following variables are defined for any code executed from a field’s BRANCHING LOGIC property (and other properties that accept M code):

Table 3. BRANCHING LOGIC property Variables

Variable	Value
X	Current internal value of the field.
DDSEXT	Current external value of the field.
DDSOLD	Previous internal value of the field.

To jump to another field on the form, you can set the DDSBR variable in the original field’s BRANCHING LOGIC field. You should set the DDSBR variable in the following format:

Field ID^Block ID^Page ID

Where:

Table 4. DDSBR Variable Format Pieces

Piece	Value
Field ID	Caption of field, Unique Name of field, or Field Order number of field to jump to.
Block ID	Block Order number or Block Name to jump to.
Page ID	Page Number or Page Name to jump to.

4.2.2 Procedure

In this example, you will add branching logic to the OFFICE PHONE field, which is on page 1 of the form. You set up the branching logic so that if there is a defined value for OFFICE PHONE, the user goes directly to the SERVICE/SECTION fields on Page 2 of the form. If there is not a defined value, the user stays on Page 1.

4.2.2.1 Add Branching Logic

To add branching logic to the OFFICE PHONE field, do the following:

1. Go to Page 1 of the form:

a. Press <PF1>P.

b. Choose Page 1.

2. Move the cursor to the OFFICE PHONE field caption, and select it.

3. With the OFFICE PHONE selected, press PF4 to edit its field properties. In the BRANCHING LOGIC field property, enter:

S:$L(X) DDSBR=“SERVICE/SECTION^Zxxx MAIN 3^PAGE 2”

This code conditionally branches to the field with the “SERVICE/SECTION” caption, on block Zxxx MAIN 3, on Page 2 of the form, provided that there is a defined value for the OFFICE PHONE field.

Figure 47. Adding branching logic—Sample user dialogue

-------------------- Data Dictionary Field Properties --------------------- 2

| |

| FIELD ORDER: 4 FIELD: .132 |

| OTHER PARAMETERS... SUPPRESS COLON AFTER CAPTION? NO |

| UNIQUE NAME: |

| |

| CAPTION: OFFICE PHONE |

| DEFAULT: |

| EXECUTABLE CAPTION: |

| EXECUTABLE DEFAULT: |

| |

| BRANCHING LOGIC: S:$L(X) DDSBR="SERVICE/SECTION^Zxxx MAIN 3^PAGE 2" |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| POST ACTION ON CHANGE: |

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________________________________

COMMAND: Press <PF1>H for help Insert

4. Press <PF1>E to save the changed field properties.

5. Press <PF1>E to save the form and exit.

6. Run and test the form:

a. Enter a value for OFFICE PHONE. You should branch immediately to the SERVICE/SECTION fields on Page 2 of the form.

b. Go back and delete the value for OFFICE PHONE. In this case, the branching logic should leave you where you are, on Page 1 of the form.

TIP: Other Properties Where You Can Set DDSBR:

You can also set the DDSBR variable at the field level properties PRE ACTION, POST ACTION, and POST ACTION ON CHANGE, as well as at the form level property DATA VALIDATION. You can set the DDSSTACK variable only at the field level BRANCHING LOGIC property, however.

TIP: Using DDSSTACK to “Stack” Another Form Location:

Rather than simply “going” to another location on the form using the DDSBR variable, you can “stack” another location of the form using the DDSSTACK variable. The difference with the DDSSTACK variable is that when a user jumps to another location, does their work, and closes the jumped to page, they are returned to the original page. DDSBR, on the other hand, acts similarly to the M GOTO command; the user is not returned to their original location after a jump.

4.2.3 Summary

You can use branching logic to conditionally branch from one location on a form to another location on the form; even if the locations are on different pages.

4.3 Use Form-Only Fields for User Input

4.3.1 Overview

ScreenMan provides Form-Only fields as a way to read user input without tying that input to a dictionary field. They act similarly to the VA FileMan ^DIR reader call, allowing you to read data as a VA FileMan data type (e.g., Free Text, Yes/No, Numeric, etc.)

To use form only fields, do the following:

1. Create a field and set the field type to FORM ONLY.

2. In the field’s properties, under FORM ONLY FIELD PARAMETERS, set the field’s READ TYPE property to reflect the type of read you want to do.

3. To retrieve the value of the field in M code, you can refer to the regular variables for a field:

· X (current internal value)

· DDSEXT (current external value)

· DDSOLD (previous internal value)

4.3.2 Procedure

Add a form-only field to Page 1 of the form, asking the user whether they want to jump to page 2 of the form or not. If they answer YES, you use the DDSBR variable to branch them to Page 2 of the form.

To add a form-only field, do the following:

1. Go to Page 1 of the form:

a. Press <PF1>P.

b. Choose Page 1.

Move the cursor to row 16, column 8:

a. Press <PF2>F to add a field.

b. Add the field to the Zxxx MAIN 2 block.

c. Choose FORM ONLY as the FIELD TYPE.

In the “Form Only Field Properties” dialogue:

a. Press Enter at the FORM ONLY FIELD PARAMETERS… field.

b. In the “Other Form Only Field Properties” dialogue, set the READ TYPE field to “YES OR NO”. This makes the field read a YES or NO response from the user.

c. Press <PF1>E to save the new field parameters.

Figure 48. Adding form only parameters READ TYPE—Sample user dialogue

--------------------- Form Only Field Properties ---------------------- 2

| |

| ------------------ Other Form Only Field Parameters --------------- |

| | | |

| | READ TYPE: YES OR NO | |

| | PARAMETERS: | |

| | QUALIFIERS: | |

| | | |

| | HELP (WP): | |

| | | |

| | INPUT TRANSFORM: | |

| | SCREEN: | |

| | SAVE CODE: | |

| | | |

| ------------------------------------------------------------------- |

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Back on the “Form Only Field Properties” dialogue, set the CAPTION property to “Go to Page 2”.

Add branching logic in the BRANCHING LOGIC property as follows:

S:+X DDSBR=“^^Page 2”

This branches to Page 2, if X (the value of the form-only field in internal format) is positive (if the user answered YES at the field).

Figure 49. Adding caption and branching logic—Sample user dialogue

----------------------- Form Only Field Properties ------------------------ 2

| |

| FIELD ORDER: 10 FORM ONLY FIELD PARAMETERS... |

| OTHER PARAMETERS... SUPPRESS COLON AFTER CAPTION? |

| UNIQUE NAME: |

| |

| CAPTION: Go to Page 2 |

| DEFAULT: |

| EXECUTABLE CAPTION: |

| EXECUTABLE DEFAULT: |

| |

| BRANCHING LOGIC: S:+X DDSBR="^^Page 2" |

| PRE ACTION: |

| POST ACTION: |

| POST ACTION ON CHANGE: |

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press <PF1>E to save the new field properties.

Exit the Form Editor.

Run and test the form:

a. If you answer YES in the new form-only field, you should jump to Page 2 of the form.

b. If you answer NO, you should stay on the current page.

4.3.3 Summary

You can use form-only fields to read a variety of input from the user, without that input having to be tied to a data dictionary field.

4.4 Turn Your ScreenMan Form into an Option

4.4.1 Overview

Until now, you have been running your form using ScreenMan’s Run a Form option. However, end-users would need your form set up as an option. This section shows you how to turn the form into an option in the menu system.

The two most typical ways to set up an option for a ScreenMan form are:

· Create a Run Routine-type option, and a routine to run.

· Create a ScreenMan-type option.

In either case (Run Routine or ScreenMan-type option), your option needs to:

1. Determine the record number of the NEW PERSON file (#200) entry to edit.

2. Call ScreenMan and load the form once the record number is known (^DDS entry point).

4.4.2 Procedures

4.4.2.1 Create a Run-Routine-Type Option

To create a Run Routine-type option, do the following:

1. Create a routine that determines the record number to edit (use the ^DIC entry point).

2. Invoke ScreenMan (^DDS entry point) to edit the record.

REF: For more information on these entry points, see the VA FileMan Developer’s Guide.

Table 5 lists the input variables you need for the ^DDS entry point:

Table 5. ^DDS Entry Point—Input Variables

Input Variable	Description
DDSFILE	The number or global root of the primary file of the form.
DR	The name of the form, enclosed in square brackets ([ ]).
DA	The record number of the file entry to display or edit.
DDSPAGE	(Optional) The page number of the first page to display to the user. If DDSPAGE is not defined, there must be a page number = 1 in the form.
DDSPARM	(Optional) Flags controlling return values from ScreenMan.

Clone the routine in Figure 50 in your namespace. This routine does the following:

· Determines the record number of the NEW PERSON file (#200) entry to edit.

· Calls ^DDS.

Figure 50. Sample routine that determines the record number of the NEW PERSON file (#200) and Calls ^DDS

ZYXWED1 ;isc-sf/fm routine for ScreenMan Tutorial ;5-June-96

;;1.0;;

EN ;

N DIC

S DIC=“^VA(200,”,DIC(0)=“AEMQ” D ^DIC

D:Y>0

.N DIC,DIE,DR,DA,DDSPARM,DDSFILE,DDSPAGE

.S DA=+Y,DDSFILE=200,DR=“[ZYXW EDIT]”,DDSPAGE=1

.D ^DDS

Create a “Run Routine”-type option that calls EN^ZxxxED1 as the routine to run.

Run the option.

You should now have a Menu Manager option that runs your form!

4.4.2.2 Create a ScreenMan-Type Option

You can quickly set up a ScreenMan-type option to run your form. This option does exactly what the run routine-type option shown above does:

1. Uses ^DIC to determine a record to edit [controlled by the DIC {DIC} and DIC(0) fields].

Uses ^DDS to load your ScreenMan form [controlled by the DR{DDS}, DDSFILE, and DDSPAGE fields].

To create a ScreenMan-type option, do the following:

1. Set up the option as shown in Figure 51 (substitute your namespace for Zxxx). Setting up the option this way is quicker than writing a routine!

Figure 51. Sample ScreenMan-type option setup

NAME: Zxxx NEW PERSON EDIT MENU TEXT: Zxxx NEW PERSON EDIT

TYPE: ScreenMan

DIC {DIC}: VA(200, DIC(0): AEMQ

DR{DDS}: [Zxxx EDIT] DDSFILE: 200

DDSPAGE: 1

UPPERCASE MENU TEXT: Zxxx NEW PERSON EDIT

2. Run and test the option.

TIP: Record Selection within ScreenMan:

The options in this lesson determine what record to edit before invoking ScreenMan. To edit a subsequent record, the user must exit ScreenMan, choose another record, and then enter ScreenMan again. You can, however, set up a Record Selection Page to allow record selection to happen within ScreenMan. To do this:

1. Add a popup page to your form.

2. Add an edit block to the page.

3. Add one field to this page: a pointer-type form-only field.

4. In the Qualifiers property of the form-only field, specify the number of the file that is your ScreenMan form’s primary file.

5. Set the field’s caption to something like “Choose a record to edit”, and set its data length property to an appropriate size for entering the name of a record in your file.

6. Set the form-level property Record Selection Page to the page number of this page.

Once you have done this, you can invoke ^DDS without specifying the DA of the record to edit; with no DA, ScreenMan uses the record selection page to prompt the user to choose a record. Once they are editing a record, the user can press <PF1>L to choose another record to edit, without leaving ScreenMan.

4.4.3 Summary

To run your form from an option, you can make either a run routine or ScreenMan-type option. In either case, the option must:

1. Determines the record number to edit from your form’s primary file.

Calls ^DDS to invoke ScreenMan.

4.5 Where to Go From Here

CONGRATULATIONS: This is the end of the hands-on tutorial!

At this point, you have done the following:

· Built a ScreenMan form from scratch.

· Enhanced the form with a number of advanced ScreenMan features.

· Made a Kernel option out of the form.

You can try creating ScreenMan forms for your own projects now. Feel free to turn back to this tutorial as you do so.

REF: For a full reference for the ScreenMan Form Editor and other ScreenMan features, see the “ScreenMan” section in the VA FileMan User Manual.

For a full reference on the ScreenMan API, see the VA FileMan Developer’s Guide.

Challenge yourself; the sky is the limit!

Figure 52 is just one example of the kind of visually appealing, usable forms that you can create with ScreenMan:

Figure 52. Sample finished, detailed ScreenMan form

NOTE: Some additional features of ScreenMan and the Form Editor are not covered by this tutorial. For example, there are additional properties for fields, blocks, pages, and forms that are not described in this tutorial.

REF: For more information on these additional properties and other ScreenMan and Form Editor features, see the “ScreenMan” section in the VA FileMan User Manual.

4.6 Delete a Form

As a final step in the tutorial, you can delete your test form.

To delete a form, do the following:

1. Use the Delete a Form option, which is on the same menu (ScreenMan) as the Edit/Create a Form and Run a Form options.

2. Select the form to be deleted. When you choose a form to delete with the Delete a Form option, it lists all blocks on the form, noting whether or not the blocks are used on any other form.

NOTE: None of the blocks you have used in this tutorial should be part of any other form.

3. The option asks whether to delete all “deletable” blocks on your form. For the form you have built for this tutorial, you should answer YES.

4. The option then deletes your form and all “deletable” blocks on your form.

Variable	Description
X	The current internal value of the field.
DDSEXT	The current external value of the field.
DDSOLD	The previous internal value of the field.

Piece	Value
Field ID	Caption of field, Unique Name of field, or Field Order number.
Block ID	Block Order number or Block Name.
Page ID	Page Number or Page Name.

Level	Property Fields
Form	Pre Action, Post Action, Data Validation, or Post Save.
Page	Pre Action or Post Action.
Block	Pre Action or Post Action (stored in the FORM file [#.403] only). Pre Action or Post Action (stored in the BLOCK file [#.404]).

Key Sequence	Navigation
<PF1>P	Go to Page (Ask which page).
<PF1><PF1><ARROWUP>	Go to Next Page.
<PF1><PF1><ARROWDOWN>	Go to Previous Page.

Key Sequence	Navigation
<TAB>	Move to next screen element.
Q	Move to previous screen element.

Key Sequence	Navigation
<PF2>P	Add a New Page.
<PF2>B	Add a New Block.
<PF2>F	Add a New Field.

Key Sequence	Navigation
<PF1>V	Toggles between Block Viewer screen and normal screen.

Screen Element Property	Action
Field	Select the field and press PF4.
Field Caption	Position cursor at field and press PF3.
Field Data Length	Position cursor at field and press PF3; use arrow keys to adjust length.
Block	Switch to Block Viewer Screen (<PF1>V), select block, and press PF4.
Current Page	Press <PF4>P.
Current Form	Press <PF4>M.

^DDGF

Invoke Form Editor, 7

Invoke Form Editor), 81

^DDGF Direct Mode Utility, 7

Add

Block to Edit Fields, 62

Block to the Popup Page, 51

Branching Logic, 66

Branching Logic for Fields, 65

Caption-only Field Columnar Headings to the Repeating Block, 45

Data Dictionary Fields, 63

DIVISION Multiple Field, 48

Edit Block, 36

EDIT Block to the Form, 22

Fields, 26

Fields for the DIVISION Multiple, 52

Multiple Field

Popup Page, 48

Multiple Field (in a Repeating Block), 40

Page to a Form, 34

Popup Page for the DIVISION Multiple, 49

Repeating Block, 41

ScreenMan Computed Field, 56

Second Page to a Form, 35

SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS (SYNONYM) Field, 44

SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS .01 Field, 43

SERVICE/SECTION Field, 61

Add Data Dictionary Fields to the EDIT Block, 25

Adding Blocks, 9

Adding Name Field, 17

Adding Pages, 34–39

Adding SSN Field, 19

Advance Preparation, 2

Advanced Features for Forms, 60

Appendix A—M Code and Variables in ScreenMan Forms, 76

Appendix B—Tutorial Keystroke Summary, 81

Assumptions, xix

Block Viewer screen, 82

Block-level, 78

Blocks

Adding, 9

Block Viewer screen, 82

Deleting, 83

DISPLAY, 9, 10, 11

Display Blocks, 17–20

EDIT, 9

EDIT Block, 22

Edit blocks, 25

Properties, 11, 74, 78

Repeating Blocks, 40–47

Branching Logic, 65–67, 76, 77, 78

Callout Boxes, xvii

Caption-only Fields, 13–15

Change

Field Order, 28

Computed fields, 56–58

Computed Fields, 34

Conventions

Documentation, xvi

Create

Forms, 4

New Elements, 82

Run-Routine-Type Option, 70

ScreenMan-Type Option, 72

Cursor

Positioning Shortcuts, 81

Data

Validation, 79

Data Dictionary

Data Dictionary Utilities Menu, xix

Listings, xix

Data Dictionary Fields, 17–20

Data Validation, 76

Property at the Form-level, 77

DDS EDIT/CREATE A FORM Option, 5, 6

DDS SCREEN MENU, 6

DDSBR variable, 65

DDSBR Variable, 77

DDSEXT Variable, 65, 76

DDSOLD Variable, 65, 76

DDSSTACK Variable, 78

Delete

Form, 75

Delete a Form Option, 75

Deleting

Blocks, 83

Fields, 83

Forms, 73–75

Pages, 83

DI DDU Menu, xix

DILIST Option, xix

DIOTHER Menu, 6

Direct Mode Utilities

^DDGF, 7

PRINT^DDS, 29, 32

Disclaimers, xvi

Display Block, 17–20

DISPLAY Block, 9, 10, 11

DIUSER Menu, 6

Documentation

Conventions, xvi

Symbols, xvi

Documentation Navigation, xviii

Edit

Fields in Other Files, 60

EDIT Block, 9, 22

Edit blocks, 25

EDIT Blocks, 22

Edit User Characteristics Option, 4

Edit/Create a Form Option, 5, 6, 9, 21, 75, 81

Editing Screen Element Properties, 83

Elements

Create New, 82

Selecting, 82

Fields

Add, 26

Adding Name Field, 17

Adding SSN Field, 19

Branching Logic, 65–67

Caption-only, 13–15

Change Order, 28

Computed, 34, 56–58

Data Dictionary, 17–20

Deleting, 83

Display-only, 17

Form-only, 68–70

In Other files (Navigating to), 60–64

Pointer, 60–64

Properties, 74, 78

M Code, 76

Reposition, 20

Repositioning, 15

Reset Order, 28

SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Multiple, 40

Selecting, 15

File Manager Access Code, 2

Files

NEW PERSON (#200), 2, 4, 7, 8, 17, 21, 25, 34, 35, 40, 60, 61, 62, 63, 70, 71

OPTION (#19), 2, 56, 57, 58

SERVICE/SECTION (#49), 2, 61, 62, 63

Used, 2

Files (Navigating to), 60–64

Form Editor, 5

Invoking, 7, 81

Form-level, 78

Form-only Fields, 68–70

Forms

Advanced Features, 60

Create, 4

Deleting, 73–75

Properties, 74, 78

Running

Run a Form Option, 21

ScreenMan, 4

Starting Out, 3

Help

At Prompts, xix

Online, xix

Question Marks, xix

Home Pages

Adobe Website, xx

VA Software Document Library (VDL) Website, xx

How to

Obtain Technical Information Online, xviii

Use this Manual, xv

HPS Anonymous Directories, xx

HTML Manuals, xv

Intended Audience, xv

Introduction, 1

Keystroke Summary, 81

Legal Requirements, xv

Levels

Block, 78

Form, 78

Page, 78

Link Pages, 38

List File Attributes Option, xix

List Form Characteristics

PRINT^DDS, 29

M Code in Field Properties, 76

Manuals

In HTML, xv

Menus

Data Dictionary Utilities, xix

DDS SCREEN MENU, 6

DI DDU, xix

DIOTHER, 6

DIUSER, 6

Other Options, 6

ScreenMan, 6

VA FileMan, 6

Multiples, 34

In a Popup Page, 48–53

In a Repeating Block, 40–47

Navigating to Other Files, 60–64

Navigation

Page, 81

Screen Element, 81

NEW PERSON File (#200), 2, 4, 7, 8, 17, 21, 25, 34, 35, 40, 60, 61, 62, 63, 70, 71

Objectives, 1

Online

Documentation, xix

Technical Information, How to Obtain, xviii

OPTION File (#19), 2, 56, 57, 58

Options

Create Run-Routine-Type Option, 70

Create ScreenMan-Type Option, 72

Data Dictionary Utilities, xix

DDS EDIT/CREATE A FORM, 5, 6

DDS SCREEN MENU, 6

Delete a Form, 75

DI DDU, xix

DILIST, xix

DIOTHER, 6

DIUSER, 6

Edit User Characteristics, 4

Edit/Create a Form, 5, 6, 9, 21, 75, 81

List File Attributes, xix

Other Options, 6

Run a Form, 21, 22, 27, 38, 70, 75

ScreenMan, 6

Turn Your ScreenMan Form into an Option, 70

VA FileMan, 6

Orientation, xv

Other Options Menu, 6

Other Places for M Code in Forms, 78

Page Navigation, 81

Page-level, 78

Pages, 34

Adding, 34–39

Deleting, 83

Link, 38

Linking, 38

Moving to another Page, 81

Popup, 48–53

Properties, 36, 74, 78

Resizing/repositioning Popup Pages, 53

Pointer fields, 60–64

Popup Pages, 48–53

Resizing/Repositioning, 53

Popups

Reposition, 53

Resize, 54

Post Action, 76, 77

Change Properties at the Field-level, 77

On Change, 76

Pre Action, 76, 77

PRINT^DDS

Direct Mode Utility, 29, 32

List Form Characteristics, 29

Properties

Block properties, 11, 74

Block Properties, 78

Editing (Keystrokes), 83

Field properties, 74

Field Properties, 76, 78

Form properties, 74

Form Properties, 78

Page properties, 36, 74

Page Properties, 78

Question Mark Help, xix

References, xx

Repeating Blocks, 40–47

Reposition

Popup Page, 53

Reposition Fields, 20

Repositioning Fields, 15

Requirements

Legal, xv

Reset Field Order, 28

Resize the Popup Page, 54

Resize/Reposition

Popup Pages, 53

Revision History, iii

Run a Form Option, 21, 22, 27, 38, 70, 75

Running a Form, 21

Screen Element Navigation, 81

Screen Elements

Selecting, 82

ScreenMan Forms, 4

ScreenMan Menu, 6

SECONDARY MENU OPTIONS Field Multiple, 40

Security Keys

XUSCREENMAN, 2, 6

Selecting

Fields, 15

Selecting a Screen Element, 82

SERVICE/SECTION File (#49), 2, 61, 62, 63

Starting Out with Forms, 3

Switching to Block Viewer Screen, 82

Symbols

Found in the Documentation, xvi

Turn Your ScreenMan Form into an Option, 70

Tutorial Keystroke Summary, 81

URLs

Adobe Website, xx

VA Software Document Library (VDL) Website, xx

Use Form-Only Fields for User Input, 68

Use PRINT^DDS to List Form Characteristics, 29

VA FileMan Menu, 6

VA Software Document Library (VDL)

Website, xx

Validating

Data, 79

Variables

DDSBR, 77

DDSEXT, 65, 76

DDSOLD, 65, 76

DDSSTACK, 78

X, 65

X, 76

Websites

Adobe Website, xx

VHA Software Document Library (VDL), xx

Where to Go From Here, 73

X Variable, 65, 76

XUSCREENMAN Security Key, 2, 6

Symbol	Description
	NOTE/REF: Used to inform the reader of general information including references to additional reading material.
	CAUTION/RECOMMENDATION/DISCLAIMER: Used to caution the reader to take special notice of critical information.
	TIP: Used to inform the reader of helpful tips or tricks they can use when working with VA FileMan.

1.1 Objectives

1.3 Advance Preparation

2.1 Create a Form

3.1 Add a Page to a Form

3.4 Add a Multiple Field (in a Popup Page)

5 Appendix A—M Code and Variables in ScreenMan Forms

6 Appendix B—Tutorial Keystroke Summary

6 Appendix B —Tutorial Keystroke Summary